Crossing Lines
by Kedi
Summary: Archie crosses the town line and forgets his other self. (Follows 2x02: We are both)
1. Crossing Lines

**Summary:** Archie crosses the town line and forgets his other self. (Follows 2x02: We are both)

**Characters:** Archie Hopper, Ruby Lucas, mentions of a few other Storybrookers

**Pairing:** Red Cricket

**Author's note:** Fair warning, angst ahead! :P

. o O o . o O o .

The return of Ruby's wolf hearing let her know that he was pacing even before she was close enough to ring the doorbell. She gave a nod to Dopey and Sleepy who had been set to guard him so he wouldn't make for the city line again, before taking a bracing breath and ringing the bell. She heard him hesitate slightly before moving to open the door. The wariness and suspicion looked out of place on his normally jovial face and Ruby felt her heart sink.

The silence stretched out and she gave him an awkward little wave.

"Hi, Archie."

His eyes softened a little and the corner of his mouth turned upwards ever so slightly, but he still looked wary. He glanced briefly at the bright red streaks in her hair.

"Let me guess," he said, sounding resigned and tired. "Little Red Riding Hood?"

She smiled sadly at him and he sighed deeply before turning and walking back into the house. Though he hadn't invited her in he hadn't closed the door in her face either, so Ruby took that as a … well, not exactly a good sign, but at least it could have been worse. She entered and closed the door behind her, moving after him into the living room.

"Archie, I -"

"Would you like a cup of tea? Or something stronger? It's been a hell of a day, and I sure could use something fortifying."

Surprised at his uncharacteristic interruption Ruby couldn't think of an answer before he walked into the kitchen without another word. Hesitant and worried she followed, but remained in the doorway, sensing he wouldn't want her too close. Her heart broke a little for him as she saw him clench his fingers to keep his hand from shaking before reaching for the tea.

She let him go about the task, hopefully soothing in its familiarity, without interruption, and only when the tea was ready - one with honey for himself and one with lemon for her - did she venture to move closer.

He was still standing with his back to her, hands grasping the counter so tightly his knuckles were white, the two steaming cups in front of him forgotten as he looked out the window.

"I don't know what's going on, Ruby." It was barely more than a whisper, but he might as well have been shouting, the frustration in his voice clear. "I wake up slumped over the steering wheel of my car, in the middle of a deserted road, without any memory of getting in the car in the first place. When I stumble out, feeling disoriented and lightheaded and… and _weird_, Leroy and that happy fellow, I don't recall his name, are there, just a few yards away… and yet, despite their obvious worry they haven't come to my aid." He shook his head. "I've been told it's because they couldn't cross the town line without losing their memories. As_ I _supposedly have."

Ruby winced at his tone. It was clear he didn't believe it.

Of course he didn't.

Sudden tears sprang to her eyes and she choked back a sob, but not fast enough. The sound of it made him turn around and his anger fell away at the sight of her.

"Oh Ruby, I…"

She was in his arms before he had the chance to protest. She hugged him tightly and after only a moment of hesitation he hugged her back, a hand tracing soothing circles on her back. A treacherous part of her mind pointed out that she hadn't felt this safe in ages, counting both the years back home and the cursed years in Storybrooke. How many times hadn't Red wished that she could hug Jiminy like this? Too many to count. And here they were, finally – but of course, he was no longer Jiminy.

"Ruby…"

"I know, I know, you don't believe us." She sniffed before letting him go and stepping back. There would be time to cry for the loss of Jiminy later. "I know this must seem … unreal. It must seem like the whole town has gone crazy all at once." She wiped the stray tears from her cheek, meeting his gaze with honest sympathy.

He chuckled without humour. "Not to mention that David Nolan has seemingly taken over the Sheriff's department and placed me under house arrest without anything resembling an arrest order. He has placed _guards_ outside my door!" He pointed an accusatory finger towards the door, his voice rising in frustration. "Claiming he couldn't take the chance I'd leave town and revel your real 'identities' to the outside world!"

"Archie…"

"Said I would stay right here until you found a way to restore my memories or that he's convinced I'm not a threat to the rest of you!" He ran a slightly shaking hand through his hair before resuming his pacing. "A threat!"

Watching him Ruby was reminded of herself back home when the Wolf's Time approached – he looked frustrated, restless, _caged_ – and she suddenly wondered if he was claustrophobic. Freedom had always been of the outmost importance to the Jiminy of old and Ruby wouldn't be surprised if Archie unconsciously longed for the open sky and the absolute freedom of flight. As tiny as he had been in cricket form the wide open sky must have seemed unendingly huge, and even an averagely sized room would have seemed large to him. Here though, confined as he was… Ruby was sure Archie Hopper's house had never felt so small.

"A _threat!"_ The exclamation sounded more despairing than angry now. "What kind of threat could I _possibly_ represent to the rest of the town?!"

Ruby reached for his arm and stopped his pacing. He looked a little crazed as he shook her hand from his arm and stepped back.

"No, no, Ruby, please, something is terribly wrong here. You're right, it does seem to me like the whole town has gone crazy, but I'm sure I could help – I'm sure I could do_something_ to help, if only you'd let me out. I've never heard of anything like this, but if I could only go to Boston I'm sure I could find someone with more experience in this sort of thing!" His eyes were pleading and he sounded so earnest and worried that Ruby was for a moment tempted to let him go – but pushed it away immediately. She, of course, knew that the town hadn't really gone crazy and that outside "help" would end in disaster. But her heart broke at the sight of him, so desperate and despairing before her.

"It's true, Archie. It's all true! You really _are_ Jiminy Cricket, you just don't_remember!_"

For a brief moment he looked utterly betrayed before it morphed into something much harder.

"Please leave."

"What? Archie, I-"

_"__Leave."_

Not bothering to keep her tears back Ruby stepped up to him and pointed an angry finger in his face. "I thought you were more open-minded than this, Archie Hopper. Have you even considered the possibility that it's not the town that has lost its mind, but you? The odds are greater that you are the one with the wrong world-view, than the whole damn population of Storybrooke suddenly falling under a mass delusion. You've always been good at catching a lie, both back home and here, so look at me now and tell me I'm lying. It's – all - _true!"_ She emphasised each of the last three words with a frustrated stab of her finger to his chest. "We were cursed for 28 years and we forgot who we really were, but now the curse is broken and we're trying to get back home. But for some reason if we step over the town line we lose ourselves again, reverting back to who we were under the curse. You crossed the line, Archie, and erased the person you were before the curse was cast. You _were_ Jiminy Cricket, now you're just Archie Hopper!"

He pushed her hand away and even though he scowled at her the hurt was clear and unmistakable in his eyes. "_Just_ Archie Hopper, huh?"

Her eyes widened as she realised what she had said, but before she had the chance to backtrack he turned on his heel and left the room, calling over his shoulder: "I trust you find your way out. Have a pleasant day, _Red Riding Hood."_ And though his words were polite his tone was more vitriolic than she had ever heard it and she felt like he had slapped her.

Stunned, she stood in the middle of his kitchen until she heard a door upstairs slam and a mattress squeak as he sat down heavily. She could picture him sitting on the edge of his bed, elbows on his knees and face hidden in his hands. She imagined silent tears and a mind desperately trying to find order in a world that suddenly didn't make sense at all.

She looked over at the two cups cooling on the counter and bit her lip with a sigh. This had not gone quite as well as she had hoped it would, but she would not give up. He would not have given up on her if their positions were reversed. With a steadying breath she let herself out, vowing to return and try again the very next day – and the next day and the next and all the next days until he believed her.

. o O o .

In retrospect she should have realised that Dopey and Sleepy were not the best to guard… well, anything really, and especially not someone as clever as Archie Hopper. Even though he was no longer a cricket he was no less inconspicuous when he put his mind to it, and it seemed that even cursed he had retained the ability to hide from prying eyes. Of course, with Dopey as easily distracted as he was and Sleepy as drowsy it was really only a matter of time before Archie found a chance to sneak away.

But even he couldn't hide from a wolf for long.

"You can't run from me, Archie!"

He stopped in his tracks at the sound of her voice and even in the darkness of the night she could see his shoulders tense. For a moment it looked like he actually considered trying to outrun her, but then he sighed and his shoulders slumped.

She stepped closer and kept her voice soft as if she was talking to a wounded animal. "Where are you going, Archie?"

"I don't know." He sounded beaten and tired and he didn't turn around to face her as he spoke. "I've thought a lot about what you said, and while you do have a point I can't just … what if there _is_ something wrong with all of you? What if it's in the food or the water or-or something airborne? If… If I didn't do anything and – and something terrible happened I don't think I could live with myself."

He finally turned and looked at her with an air of sad determination. "So I'm going to Boston. I'll visit my alma mater to see if any of my old professors remember me, to see if … if I really attended the university and got the degrees framed in my office. If I did, then I'll do anything to help you. I'll look up every colleague, every old professor, call in every favour, bribe and beg… But if I don't find any sign that I ever attended… if it turns out my whole life is a product of a curse, like you claim, then…" He swallowed and blinked away tears. "I can keep a secret, you know that. Remind the others of that, and believe me when I say that I will never tell a living soul of Storybrooke. You have nothing to fear from me. I'll disappear, you'll never see me again, and I'll just hope and pray that you all eventually find a way to get… get back home."

Stunned she stepped even closer, not liking either of the options he presented. "You-you could come back? You don't have to stay away."

He shook his head. "No, I do. I've spoken with Mr. Gold, and he said that… that the memory wipe could not be undone. If I came back here I would be 'just' Archie Hopper." Ruby winced as he drew air quotes around the word, echoing her blunder from earlier. "I would be of no use to you, I wouldn't… I wouldn't understand. I _don't_understand. It would be frustrating for all of us. And I would be a constant reminder of … of a person you've lost. I mean, apart from maybe Marco I-I wouldn't presume to think that many would miss me, but -"

"Don't you dare." Ruby stepped right into his personal space, grabbing a hold of the front of his sweater, blinking away angry tears. "Don't you dare think we wouldn't miss you. You're a dear friend to everyone I can think of and if you just up and disappeared… You are one of the most important persons in my life, and I would miss you terribly every single day. I would miss Archie Hopper just as much as I miss Jiminy, because you are both my friend and you always have been and I _love_ you!"

His eyes widened and he opened his mouth to answer, but apparently couldn't find his voice so he closed it again. Ruby felt her cheeks heat under his stunned gaze, but stood her ground resolutely, refusing to back down. "I love you." And as she repeated herself she realised she always had. "I loved Jiminy, and I love Archie. Please don't go. Please don't leave."

He was struggling, she could tell, but before he could say anything a shout from somewhere behind her startled them both.

"Charming." She whispered in explanation. "I mean David. David… and Leroy and Marco." She turned her head slightly to listen closer and tried to sniff the air surreptitiously, not confident he knew of her real nature yet. "Granny. Henry." She looked back at him, shrugging at the curious look on his face. "They're looking for you. They're worried about you, too. Please, Archie, please, let's go back."

He looked between the dense woods behind her and the almost invisible path he had been on when she found him. Ruby wanted to pounce, to grab him, to hold him and force him to stay, but she pushed the urge away; he had to make the decision himself. From the sound of it the search party was closing in fast and Ruby could tell he heard them too now; familiar, loved voices calling for him, begging him to return. He looked torn.

He started for the path and Ruby's heart skipped a beat.

But he hadn't taken two steps before he stopped with almost visible reluctance. For a moment he stood there, obviously debating with himself, before he suddenly turned back to her. Closing the distance between them he grabbed her arm, leaned in and looked her in the eyes. Ruby almost forgot to breathe as his eyes seemed to look straight into her soul.

"Come with me!" His voice was barely a whisper. "We could start anew somewhere, together! Ruby…" A surprisingly steady hand cupped her cheek almost reverently and he leaned in so their foreheads were touching. "Ruby, I love you. I always have."

Closing her eyes she let her tears fall.

It was tempting, more tempting than she wanted him to know. To cross the line, to forget her sins, forget her monster, forget Peter… forget Jiminy. She would be just plain Ruby again, with a crush on the town psychiatrist who was way out of her league. They could be together, free to travel the world like she had always dreamed, free of both their pasts and their sins…

She didn't know if it was he who initiated the kiss or if it was her, or maybe they just sort of met in the middle.

But the voices came ever closer.

Breaking the kiss she choked back a sob. "I'm sorry, Archie."

His attempt at a smile was more like a grimace, but he stole another kiss before stepping back and with a last sad look at her turned and ran. She knew he would reach the town line before the search party came close enough to stop him. He would cross the line and they would be unable to follow. He would go to Boston, where he would not find a single trace of himself. She just hoped that he would realise that Storybrooke was the only place Archie Hopper existed… and that he would come back.

"Ruby! Have you found him?"

She just shook her head. No, she had lost him.

. o O o .


	2. Tabula Rasa

As it turned out, Ruby's prediction proved to be devastatingly accurate: Despite his best efforts Archie hadn't found a single trace of himself in Boston, not even a hint that he had ever attended university there. Nothing, in fact, that could indicate he had ever sat his foot in the city at all.

He had tried to track down his birth records but there too he had come up with nothing.

In the end he had been forced to acknowledge that Archibald Hopper didn't exist - and the fact had terrified him.

The knowledge that the person he had thought he was didn't exist and that he was really _Jiminy Cricket_, but had forgotten - had for some reason _chosen_ to forgotten - had only made Archie despair all the more. It seemed there was no place for him anywhere: to the world at large he didn't exist and to Storybrooke he was just a pale imitation, a cursed version of the person he had once been.

But Archie Hopper, cursed and fake though he might be, was nothing if not an optimist and he had soldiered on; if Archie Hopper didn't exist then by golly he just had to find some way to _make_ him exist! The memories of his childhood and his parents might not be real but the shady knowledge proved to be real enough, and fake IDs were easy to procure when you knew how to do it. They wouldn't hold up under proper scrutiny so he hadn't even attempted to include his curse-given M.D., but they were good enough for a quiet life under the radar which Archie figured was all he could hope for at that point. He had left Boston and gone to a city he had no previous experience with, cursed or otherwise, and he had made do as best he could. Archie Hopper soldiered on. He hadn't been happy, but he hadn't been actively discontent either.

But it didn't last.

It took only a couple of months before he suspected, close to four before he was sure, and as he hit the half year mark away from Storybrooke Archie knew without a shadow of a doubt that the only thing he had left, his sense of self, was slowly being taken from him. Crossing the town line had wiped his memories as Jiminy, and it seemed that leaving Storybrooke was now slowly wiping his memories as Archie as well.

Feeling more alone than he could ever remember feeling - and definitely appreciating the bitter irony of that - Archie decided that his best chance, his only chance really, was to return to Storybrooke and hope that it would restore or at least stop the deterioration of his memories.

Once his mind had been made up it took him less than an hour to pack up his meagre belongings, and with a sense of relief despite the dire circumstances he stepped out onto the pavement and started walking towards the bus stop.

He was going home.

. o O o . o O o .

"He was found with IDs but they turned out to be fakes. Took a while to notice, actually, best darn fakes I've seen in my life, and let me tell you I've seen my share!"

The doctor, who had introduced herself as 'Judy, just call me Judy, we're not big on formality around here', chuckled and Ruby forced a smile in reply even though she felt more than a little nauseous.

This was it.

After four long years they had finally found him. She had almost lost hope by the time Emma finally called her with the news that she had found him. In Seattle of all places.

"What happened?" Somehow Ruby managed to get her voice to work, though it sounded a little wobbly. "How did he end up here?"

Judy gave her a sympathetic look and Ruby's stomach churned.

"Hit and run. Probably a drunk driver, but we don't know for sure since the driver was never caught. Archie was - we've kept calling him Archie even though the IDs were fake," she interrupted herself to add. "He's registered as John Doe in the records since we couldn't very well add a proved fake name, but day-to-day we figured he would be more comfortable with the fake name he had chosen himself, than the fake name the government chose for him, you know?"

Ruby nodded numbly. Hit and run. He could so easily have been killed and she would never have known. He would have been one of numerous John Does, unclaimed and unsung.

"According to the medics in the ambulance he kept struggling, kept repeating that he couldn't go to the hospital, claiming he had to go home right away or he'd lose himself. They had to sedate him to keep him still." Judging by the worried look Judy sent her Ruby guessed that all of the blood had drained from her face - it certainly felt like it. She gave a shake of her head to let the doctor know she wouldn't keel over just yet and Judy continued. "We all assumed it was the shock and blood loss talking, you'd be surprised at how much gibberish we hear in this profession, miss Lucas, but…"

"But what?"

"He came out of surgery all right, but when he woke up the next morning he didn't remember what had happened. A little confusion after the anesthesia is to be expected so we didn't think much about it at first. He was still dead set on leaving but of course we couldn't let him gallivant off to Lord knows where on his own only hours after major surgery. Not that he would've been _able_ to, but you know, he didn't seem to care about the logistics, to put it that way. We had to resort to restraints to keep him from getting out of bed, but as the days passed he struggled less and less, spoke less and less… Instead of clearing up like we expected it to the confusion just got worse. It was as if his motivation to fight just slowly ebbed away, taking piece after piece of him with it. By the time he was calm enough for the restraints to be removed he had fallen completely silent." Judy shook her head with a frown. "Maybe he was right to worry about losing himself if he didn't get home, because he hasn't said a word since and it's been over three years now. It's like he's not even in there anymore."

Judy rose and motioned for Ruby to precede her out of the office, leading her down the corridor. "We've tried to find a next-of-kin to contact or to find out where 'home' was so we could alert his family, but like I said all his IDs were fake and all we found on his person was a plane ticket to Boston and we couldn't find anyone who knew him there either."

Ruby swallowed. Archie had been on his way home to Storybrooke. The thought was bittersweet. From Boston he would probably have bussed or hitchhiked as close as he could get and then walked through the woods until he crossed the magical barrier hiding Storybrooke from the rest of the world. But he had not gotten that far.

The weight of the vial Blue had given her suddenly felt much heavier in her pocket and Ruby took a deep bracing breath. The potion would bring back his pre-cursed memories, restoring Jiminy… but what of Archie? They had assumed Archie would still be there and that they only needed to restore Jiminy's memories, but now that Archie was gone as well… Would the potion restore Jiminy only, leaving no trace of the man he had been under the curse? Was it even possible to bring back the cursed memories once they had faded?

"Are you his wife?"

Ruby blinked in surprise, thoughts derailed for a moment. "No." But after just a moment's hesitation she added softly: "Not yet."

The doctor smiled as if Ruby had just confirmed all her suspicions. "I had a feeling. I'm really glad you came to find him, because we'd almost given up finding you."

"We've been looking for him for four years. I need to let him know that it's alright to come home. That it's time for him to come home."

Judy's smile warmed. "I'm very happy to hear that, miss Lucas. Ah, here we are."

He was sitting by the window when they walked in. Ruby felt her breath catch in happiness and she stopped in the doorway, savouring the sight of him after four long years. His hair was a little longer than she remembered and it was odd to see him clad so informally in slacks and a long-sleeved t-shirt with the hospital's name on it, but it was _him._ It was without a doubt him. She had finally found him.

Judy made her way over to his chair, knelt by his side and reached for his hand. "Archie? It's Doctor Judy, Archie. I brought you a visitor."

He turned slowly from the window view but despite the faint polite smile Ruby could tell he had no idea who Judy was.

"She's here to…" Judy looked up at Ruby with a smile before looking back at Archie. "She's here to take you home, Archie."

Archie's eyes followed the direction Judy had turned and Ruby's heart thundered in her chest as the pale blue eyes settled on her and stayed there.

She could tell he had no idea who she was either.

Not even a glimmer of recognition.

"Hi Archie," she said softly. It was barely louder than a whisper but it was all she could manage around the lump in her throat. She watched his head tilt in a manner that made her think of Pongo and the thought made her huff out a laugh even as her eyes filled with tears. He rose and Ruby distantly registered that Judy seemed surprised, but all she cared about was that Archie was reaching out to comfort her in her distress. The look of concern on his face broke every restrain she had left and she broke down sobbing, clinging to him as he pulled her into a hug.

"Incredible!" Judy rose from her crouch by Archie's chair and gaped at the two of them in delight. "He's never taken the initiative like that before! He understands what people are saying to him, he'll obey simple commands, he'll eat what we put before him and he'll sleep when we put him to bed, but this is the first time I've seen him reach out in any way. Oh, it warms the heart!"

Ruby heard Judy's words but her focus was on him; on his arms around her, the warm, steady, reassuring presence of him after so long. Under the hospital scents she could smell _him_, that comforting scent that was unlike any other she knew and brought to mind long warm summer nights and tall grass and old books.

"Our best guess has been early onset Alzheimer's, but that doesn't really fit either. Alzheimer's has a more gradual decline, whereas with Archie it seemed like bigger and bigger chunks of memory disappeared at a faster and faster rate until … pff! All gone!" Judy gestured grandly with her hand. "It took less than a month. And he's not really exhibiting the symptoms one would expect at the severe stage of Alzheimer's; he's still able to respond to his environment, he still has control of his body and doesn't need help to feed himself or anything like that. It's like… like his mind's a blank slate. Like someone waved a magic wand and just wiped his mind clean." She shook her head with a chuckle. "Doesn't sound very scientific, I know, but oh well, now it doesn't matter quite as much anymore - just the fact that he initiated contact, something he's never done in all the time he's been here, is a cause to be optimistic!"

Ruby nodded and pulled back a little, but mutely made it clear to Archie that she didn't want to move away completely. Archie eased up on his grip but obeyed and didn't let go, palms flat against her sides, the comfortable weight of them pleasantly warm through her thin blouse. Ruby heard another delighted "Incredible!" from Judy but she paid it no heed, raising a hand to caress Archie's cheek. He closed his eyes and nuzzled into her palm and Ruby smiled through her happy tears.

"Everything will be all right, we'll get his memories back." She kept her eyes on his as she spoke, her words meant just as much for him as for the doctor behind him. "All of his memories. We'll find a way."

. o O o . o O o .

She didn't know how Emma got Archie discharged without the proper papers, nor did she care - all Ruby cared about at the moment was the fact that they were finally on their way home to Storybrooke. It had taken several hours to get everything in order and Judy had offered Archie a bed one last night if they would rather start out in the morning, but Ruby had kindly but firmly turned the suggestion down. They were going home and they would not be delayed. It was dark by the time they finally put Seattle behind them.

It hadn't taken long before Archie had started nodding off, and soon he was sleeping soundly with his head resting on Ruby's shoulder. It seemed sleep trumphed even his wide-eyed and endearing fascination of the view out the plane window.

Emma and Ruby's eyes met as he started to snore softly and they both smiled.

. o O o . o O o .

They reached their final destination around seven in the morning, but Ruby and Emma agreed that it would be best to get a little sleep before announcing their return. Ruby would contact Blue and Emma would drop by Granny's around lunchtime to inform everyone else - or rather to tell Leroy and let the news spread from there.

Ruby waved after Emma as the yellow bug drove away, before tugging on Archie's arm and leading him inside the house.

She moved in the darkness with familiar ease, turning on lights as she went. Turning back to look at him she saw he had followed her only a few steps before stopping, looking around with a look of wonder. Ruby bit her tongue to keep from speaking; she wanted to give him the chance to take in his surroundings in peace. It was probably silly but she thought she could see something stirring in his eyes, but she wasn't sure if it was recognition or just a trick of the light. He leaned in a little to glance up the stairs before straightening and slowly, slowly started moving toward the living room. Ruby followed him, but remained silent.

His house was as he had left it; Pongo's toys were thrown haphazardly into the toy box in the corner by the bookshelf, the potted plants were alive and thriving, and the house was warm even though it was quite chilly outside. But there were some new additions, too; books on the coffee table he had never read, a leather jacket hanging next to his coat on the coat rack, a deep red knitted blanket thrown haphazardly over the back of the couch.

Ruby had hoped for a gasp of surprise as the realisation hit him, but he just kept looking around curiously.

"I-I hope you don't mind," she said, unable to keep silent any longer. He quite clearly still did not remember, but she felt the need to explain anyway. "I-I felt … I went through a tough time after you left. I ended up coming here more and more often, to-to feel like I was closer to you. In the end I sort of just… stayed, I guess." She bit her lip and shrugged sheepishly. "And Pongo didn't like it at the Bed and Breakfast. He was homesick. So it was a little for his benefit too. But mostly for mine."

He didn't answer, but then again she hadn't really expected him to. He still hadn't spoken a word. His eyes landed on the photographs displayed on the mantelpiece and he moved closer to look at them. He studied each picture with a look of deep concentration and Ruby saw he lingered over the one of the two of them together, laughing at something off camera. It was one of her additions; the picture had originally stood on her desk in her room at the Bed and Breakfast, before she moved in here. Her breath hitched as he lifted a hand to ghost over the photo, not actually touching the glass but merely tracing lines in the air over their faces.

She shuffled her feet, suddenly very, very worried that he would find it creepy that she had moved into his house after he left, but of course he still said nothing, just turned to her with a fond smile - a smile devoid of judgement, and of recognition.

Ruby sighed and wiped a tear away but took comfort in the fact that he stepped closer, his smile turning into a soft frown of worry. Unable to help herself she took a step towards him and then another and before she knew it she was in his arms, hugging him tightly.

"You're here," she ground out, words muffled as she pressed her face against his shoulder. "You're back and we'll find a way to fix everything."

She closed her eyes tightly to try to keep the tears at bay as she felt him tighten the hug. She had missed him so damn much, and it felt like a dream come true to finally stand in the middle of his living room, holding him close.

It was tempting to just stay there forever, safe in his embrace, but after a long while Ruby forced herself to ease up on the hug. Archie let her move away with clear reluctance. She cupped his cheek with a teary smile and chuckled as he smiled bravely back. Wiping away tears she took his hand and tugged him towards the stairs.

"Come on, you. Let's get you to bed so you can get a few hours of sleep before braving the unknown that is Storybrooke. It's going to be a long day."

. o O o . o O o .

"Alright, here's what we're gonna do."

He looked up at her from his sandwich and Ruby leaned against the kitchen counter, absentmindedly fiddling with the cordless phone, an anxious look on her face.

"Blue is going to start working on another potion, but for now she said to give you the one we already have - it will bring back Jiminy, and we'll work from there."

He smiled politely and she sighed.

"Personally I think Regina's the only one who can return Archie's memories since she was the one to put the cursed personality there to begin with but Blue isn't too keen on involving her… And I _totally_ understand that, she's as far from my first choice as you can get, but…" She shrugged and shook her head, straightening and putting the phone down on the counter before moving over to stand beside him. His brow furrowed at her serious expression and he rose, reaching out to trail a hand down her arm before letting it fall back to his side uncertainly. Ruby tried to ignore the pleasant tingle left in its wake and held out the vial for him to take.

"We'll try this first. We might get lucky and both of you return, who knows? I don't think Blue is as in control of her magic here as she would like us to believe."

When he made no move to take it from her Ruby shook the vial demonstratively before reaching out for his hand and placing in his palm, closing his fingers around it. He looked at it then back at her with a confused mien, but tilting her head back and miming holding it to her lips and drinking seemed to get the message across because he immediately wrinkled his nose and looked at the vial sceptically. Another look at her face however seemed to convince him and with only a brief moment's reluctance he uncorked the vial, lifted it to his lips and downed the whole thing in one go.

The effect was instantaneous; a faint blue shimmer ghosted over his skin and he inhaled sharply, closing his eyes against the flood of memories. The vial fell from numb fingers and hit the floor, rolling away. His knees buckled, but Ruby was there, holding him up, holding him close, anchoring him to the present as the past threatened to overwhelm him.

. o O o . o O o .

_To be continued..._


	3. Jiminy

Gentle hands were shaking him and he felt himself slowly resurface from the seemingly depthless ocean of memories. He swallowed and tasted blood in the back of his throat. The mellifluous sounds which accompanied the hands sorted itself into a voice and words he slowly started to understand.

"- you all right? Please answer me!"

An impression of fiery crimson was dragged up from the swirling memories and solidified into a word. No, he realised, a _name_.

"R-Red?"

His voice was hoarse, his throat sore; it felt like he hadn't spoken in ages. Clearing his throat only made the discomfort intensify and coughing did little but move the taste of blood forward on his tongue. He tried to focus on his breathing instead in the hopes that it would at least help a little with the disorientation and the nausea.

"Where…" Opening his eyes he looked around the unfamiliar surroundings.

A memory forced its way to the forefront of his mind with startling clarity - _A purple cloud of magic rolling ever closer, leaving destruction in its wake…_ "_The Curse! It's heeeere!" -_ and he jerked in fear. He tried to rise, instinct telling him to flee, to try to get away from the danger, but his feet wouldn't cooperate and he fell back, hissing in pain as his knee hit the ground hard. He made to rise again but the vivid memory faded enough to let him out of its grip, and he sank back to the ground with a shaky sigh, heart thundering unpleasantly in his chest as he tried to regain his composure. He lifted a shaking hand to his brow but froze, eyes widening as his confused brain finally registered what his body had been telling him ever since his knee had made painful contact with the ground.

Not quite believing his eyes he quickly patted himself down to make sure every body part was present before looking up at his companion with open-mouthed surprise. "I'm … I'm human. How - what happened?"

. o O o . o O o .

Jiminy. Only Jiminy, no sign of Archie. Ruby viciously pushed away the disappointment that swelled up in her and forced herself to remain where she was instead of closing the distance between them. It was a start, she reminded herself sternly, an excellent start and much better than the blank slate he had been since they found him. She smiled her best reassuring smile.

"It's good to have you back, Jiminy. Really, really good to have you back."

His confused frown deepened. "Back? Where have I been?"

Seattle, she thought whimsically, imagining the confused look on his face should she tell him that. Jiminy would have no idea where or what "Seattle" was. "What's the last thing you remember?"

He shook his head and looked around, looking small and lost as he sat slumped against the kitchen island. "The curse. The Evil Queen's curse was coming."

She winced in sympathy at how hoarse his voice sounded, but it seemed it got easier to speak with every word.

"I-I remember a purple cloud of magic crashing through the windows. I remember chaos. I … I remember pain. Then… this place."

He looked back at her and Ruby was struck with the strange feeling that he somehow didn't look at all like Archie. Something in the eyes was different. It was as if there was a distance between them now, even though they were sitting so close that she easily could've leaned over and touched him. It was as if he was removed somehow, observing humanity but not really being a part of it. There was a sadness that seemed to cloud the blue, making it look darker… not exactly changing the colour of his eyes, but somehow the depth.

"Did it fail?" His question forced Ruby's mind back on track and he motioned helplessly towards her attire then to himself. "The curse? Something obviously happened, but what?"

Ruby opened her mouth to reply but a knock on the doorframe behind her made them both jump.

Emma smiled sheepishly, shifting her weight from foot to foot, clearly feeling anxious but trying to hide it.

"Hey, sorry, I just wanted to check up on you guys, see if you were… ready for lunch soon."

Ruby smiled faintly at Emma's vague phrasing and nodded, answering the hidden question. "Jiminy's back."

She could see from the way Emma's shoulders slumped and how her smile wavered a little that she heard what Ruby didn't say; Jiminy was back but Archie was still unaccounted for.

"A lot of people are very excited to see you, Jiminy," Emma said, stumbling just a little over his name. "Quite a few wanted to show up at your doorstep, actually, but I managed to get them to wait at Granny's for now. Had to threaten a few with handcuffs, but you know..."

"Thanks, Emma." Ruby chuckled despite herself as she took Jiminy's arm and helped him to his feet.

"E-Emma?" Jiminy's eyes widened in shock and Ruby felt him shaking a little under her hand. "_Princess_ Emma?"

"Yeah, the "Saviour"." Emma drew air quotes in the air before shoving both hands in her pockets with an embarrassed shrug. "That's me."

"But…" He lifted a hand to his brow and closed his eyes tightly. "Her 28th birthday," he mumbled. "She would return on her 28th birthday. Fairies above, it's been 28 years?"

"More than that, actually."

Jiminy opened his mouth to say more but Ruby let out a sound of dismay and pulled a napkin from the nearby dispenser and lifted it to his nose, effectively stopping whatever it was he was going to say. Not expecting it he automatically reached up to find out what exactly she was doing and when his hand closed over hers they both tensed. Ruby might've jerked her hand back had his not held it in place.

"Your nose is bleeding," she mumbled, feeling embarrassment burn in her cheeks.

"Oh. Thank you."

She pulled her hand back as soon as his shifted to take over the napkin and she stepped back, hugging herself and turning to Emma. "I think a little explanation might be in order before we throw him to the lions, as it were. You go on ahead and we'll be right behind you."

At their questioning looks Jiminy just shrugged and nodded, easing up on the pressure on his nose to check if it was still bleeding. Sniffing he seemed to decide the napkin had done its job and absentmindedly scrunched it into a ball in his palm before nodding again.

"Right," Emma said. "That's the plan then. I'll stall the -"

But that was all Emma had time to say before Henry appeared out of the blue, pushed past her and threw himself at Jiminy with a happy whoop.

The unexpected appearance of the boy followed by the exuberant hug took Jiminy completely by surprise and still unsteady on his feet he would have fallen had not Ruby hastened to steady him. He patted Henry on the back as the young man clung to him, but judging by the look Emma sent her Ruby was not the only one struck by how stilted the gesture was and how awkwardly Jiminy returned the hug. Archie had been a great hugger; genuine and at ease with the physical affection, and even in Seattle without any of his memories he had hugged Ruby without any noticeable hesitation. He had seemed to be a natural, no matter what memories or lack thereof swirled around in his head. Jiminy, however, was visibly uncomfortable and clearly unsure how to properly reciprocate.

Taking pity on the poor guy Emma hurriedly pried Henry loose and gave Jiminy an apologetic smile. "We'll see you guys in a while," she threw over her shoulder as she marched her son out of the room. Ruby and Jiminy heard the front door close, cutting off Henry's protestations, and silence fell.

"So, erm…" Ruby cleared her throat. "You all right there, Jiminy?" She gave his arm a squeeze but hurriedly retracted her hand when he jerked back as if the touch had burned him.

"Sorry," he apologised immediately, hands held out in front of him as if wanting to placate her - or keep her at arm's length. "I'm sorry, I- I'm not used to this much physical contact. It's - it's been a while."

Ruby nodded, doing her best to keep a reassuring smile on her face. "Hey, don't worry 'bout it, I understand." And she did. Jiminy had been a cricket, after all, and he had probably not been touched much at all since his transformation, let alone been hugged. Most of the physical touches had probably been people swatting him. No wonder he felt uncomfortable! "I'm sorry, too. He was just so happy to see you. He's missed you terribly."

Jiminy nodded; a jerking, nervous motion, eyes darting in the direction of where Emma and Henry had disappeared moments before. "Yeah, I-I got that." He smiled, but it was brittle and he let it fall almost immediately. "Who was that?"

Despite the tension in his voice he sounded genuinely saddened by the fact that he didn't know who Henry was. Ruby felt a little hopeful.

"That was Henry Swan. He's Emma's son."

"He... he seems to be a fine young man."

"The best," Ruby agreed. "He has known you - or rather your cursed self - his whole life."

Jiminy opened his mouth to say something but apparently thought better of it and closed it again without a word. It was something she had seen Archie do numerous times in the past when faced with something that stumped him and it made her smile to think that it was a quirk Jiminy apparently shared, even though it hadn't been visible in his cricket form. Amused despite the strange situation Ruby motioned for him to sit.

Considering how queasy he had looked right after he downed the potion - and considering how pale he still was - Ruby didn't even offer him the rest of his half-finished sandwich before throwing it away. After putting the empty plate in the dishwasher she went to the fridge and got out two bottles of water instead, and uncapping one she put it in front of him on the kitchen island before sitting down across from him with the other.

"Okay," she said, taking a deep bracing breath. "So here's what's happened…"

Trying to keep everything reasonably simple and clear Ruby told him about what had happened since the curse was cast. Jiminy listened intently as she spoke and even though he several times looked like he was on the verge of speaking he kept his silence and let her continue without interruption.

When she at long last finished they just sat there in silence for several minutes while he valiantly tried to process it all.

"So I … I voluntarily crossed the town line," he said eventually. "And I forgot the person I was before the curse, leaving only the person I was under the curse." He grimaced as if he still had a trouble wrapping his head around it. "Leaving just Archie."

Just Archie. Something clenched painfully in her chest at his words. Ruby all too vividly remembered the look of pain on his face when she had called him '_just_ Archie'. Four years later she still bitterly regretted saying that. But this wasn't the time to deal with that particular issue, so instead she just nodded in the affirmative. "Yes. Jiminy was gone, Archie remained."

"And then Archie ran away. But apparently he was on his way back here again when he-" He shook his head as if physically trying to change tracks. "When _I_ was injured. By the time I was healthy enough to resume my homeward journey my cursed memories had faded away too, leaving me… empty."

She winced at his flat tone but he didn't seem to notice, staring off into the middle distance with a thoughtful frown on his face.

"You were scared and overwhelmed."

He shook his head, meeting her gaze for the first time since she had finished her tale. "That's no excuse."

"It is, actually," she said softly but firmly. "You were overwhelmed this time around, too, remember? Less than an hour ago you were sitting in a heap on the floor because the return of your memories rattled you to such a degree that your feet wouldn't carry you. I mean, you got a nosebleed from the strain!" She motioned towards his nose unnecessarily. "Can you imagine getting all of that on top of another life you until that moment had thought was real? On top of being thrown across the room by a woman one part of you knew as the most evil of creatures in the land, by means the other part of you until just a few hours earlier had known didn't exist? I bet your head feels full right now, but can you imagine how full it would feel with memories of _two_ lives in there?"

He averted his gaze, suddenly very interested in the label on his half-empty water bottle. "You didn't run, though."

"I wanted to."

He looked up at her, eyes blazing. "But you _didn't_. And I shouldn't have either. I should have been able to handle my own memories! It's not like I haven't done it before! I've lived with them longer than you've been alive, for crying out loud!"

Ruby let his anger wash over her, knowing it wasn't really directed at her.

"But Archie hadn't," she pointed out softly. "I know you've carried a lot of guilt around, Jiminy, but after so long you've grown accustomed to the weight. I think Archie was being crushed under it. And can you in all honesty say that you would not hesitate if you thought there was a way to forget about your sins? I don't blame him… or you for wanting to lighten the load."

He didn't say anything, scowling darkly down at the bottle of water in his hands.

"And Archie didn't make the decision on his own, you know." She pointed to his head. "Both of you were in there at the time, buddy, don't forget that! I'm sure you would've chosen differently had you had the chance to come to grips with everything but crossing the line was a decision made in the heat of the moment... It was a poorly thought through plan: Archie alone was ill-equipped to deal with the situation because without the memories of the Enchanted Forest nothing made sense anymore - because _everything_ and _everyone_ in Storybrooke had changed. Think about it, Jiminy: from Archie's point of view the whole town had gone crazy overnight!"

Looking at Jiminy now Ruby was reminded of how unhappy Archie had been under house arrest and how desperate he had been to try to make sense of what was happening.

"When you crossed the town line the second time you left because you wanted… you _needed_ to make sense of the world again. You needed to see if it was we who had lost our minds - or if you had. If we were the ones who had gone crazy then you needed to get help. And if you were the one …" She furiously blinked away the tears threatening to fall. "You didn't want to stay here and remind us - remind yourself - of what had been lost."

His head jerked up and his gaze settled on her with a startling intensity, eyes curious but sharp. Very sharp.

Ruby fidgeted, feeling distinctly uncomfortable under the unexpected scrutiny, desperately thinking back trying to figure out what she could possibly have said that might warrant such a reaction.

"You loved him," he said suddenly, stunned. "The other me. The other version of me. You loved Archie."

Her mouth fell open in shock, no doubt giving him all the confirmation he needed.

And here she had thought she had been so careful! She had not wanted to pressure him in any way because after all, Jiminy the cricket would never think about Red like that and would no doubt feel very uncomfortable being placed face to face with a … what, a girlfriend? and a relationship he had never had any say in. She had wanted to wait and see if … she wasn't even sure, she hadn't allowed herself to consider the possibility that they might not be able to restore Archie, or that Jiminy might not _want_ him restored - and thus quite effectively nipping their relationship in the bud…

She swallowed back tears at the thought. Not that it had been a real relationship, not really. They hadn't had the chance to really start anything. But the faint possibility of a happy ending with the man in front of her had been one of the things that kept her going when things were at their worst.

"Do you miss him?" Jiminy asked, sounding strangely wistful.

"I do," she said softly. "I miss him as much as I missed you when you were gone."

He returned his gaze to the bottle but not before Ruby caught a flash of disbelief in his eyes. And … hope? Surely not, that was no doubt wishful thinking on her part.

"The night you left… I found you before you crossed the line. I could've stopped you." Ignoring the surprise on his face she forced herself to continue. "But I didn't, because I knew that if I forced you to return with me you would just find a way to slip away later. So I gave you the choice and prayed that after you found the truth you were looking for you would return to us." She took a deep breath. She might as well come clean. Fortune favours the bold and all that. "Return to _me_."

She didn't dare look at him to gauge his reaction, keeping her eyes firmly on her water bottle as she started worrying the label away one little bit at a time.

"I love you," she whispered to the bottle, mentally kicking herself for being too cowardly to look up at the man her words were meant for. "Both parts of you. Red loved Jiminy back home and Ruby loved Archie here and the thought of losing either…" She cleared her throat and managed to raise her voice to something that might resemble normal speaking volume. "You asked me to come with you that night. Oh my word, how I wanted to! More than anything I wanted to. But I knew that if I did I would condemn both Jiminy and Red, and that wouldn't be fair to either of us. So I let you go and prayed that you would return so we could find a way to fix everything. And … and when you didn't…" She let out a shaky breath. "I had Emma looking for you as soon as things around here calmed down." She chuckled with a self-conscious shrug. "I guess I figured you had chosen for yourself for long enough and that it was time to knock some sense into your head and get you home."

She thought she saw him smile out of the corner of her eye but she was still too chicken to look up to check if she was right.

"I understand that you're not eager to open your mind to another set of memories, Jiminy, but please take into consideration what you will lose if you choose not to. Even if we put aside our relationship there's also Henry who has known Archie his whole life and to whom Archie has been a trusted confidant and friend! And there's Geppetto with whom Archie for 28 years shared a friendship unburdened by life debts and guilt because neither of you remembered!" Her words were coming faster and faster as she worked herself up. "And - and Pongo! Archie had a dog, Jiminy! And there's those who didn't know Jiminy back home but who knew Archie here and those who knew you both and there's so much shared history that would be lost!"

By now she was barely taking the time to breathe, too set on getting everything out to think about the tempo of her monologue. "You'll have the exact same problem Archie had, Jiminy! A part of you will be missing and it will affect every relationship in your life because the rest of us are both, we all have two sets of memories, we all share a common history and even though it at times can be a pain in the ass it makes us stronger, it makes us - I don't know, but it makes us _us_. A new larger us, maybe. I mean, here!" She suddenly jumped up and snatched the phone from the kitchen counter and thrust it in his face. "This! Without Archie you don't have a clue what this is, do you?"

She didn't give him a chance to answer - or to lower his hands from his automatic gesture of surrender - before she started pacing, gesturing wildly with the phone all the while. "This is a world very different from the Enchanted Forest, Jiminy, believe you me! Without the cursed memories you'll -" She turned on him so quickly he jumped in his chair. "Do you remember anything from Seattle? Do you remember anything of the four years you were gone from Storybrooke?"

He motioned helplessly but she continued before he had the chance to process her unexpected questions, let alone answer them.

"You might after everything settles down, it's a lot for your mind to take in all at once, and it could be that the memories have just been pushed momentarily aside but if they're gone - and they very well might be since nobody was home there for a long while! - if they're gone and you don't get Archie back you won't really have _any_ clue about how this world works and Storybrooke will -"

"_Red!"_

His stern tone stopped her dead in her tracks. He rose and moved around the kitchen island, pried the phone from her fingers and carefully put it back on the counter before steering her back to her seat.

"Please, Red, just… just breathe for a moment." He gave her shoulders a hesitant squeeze before retreating back to his own seat. "You're right, this is a lot to take in," he said carefully once he was seated again. "And frankly it doesn't help to find myself in human form again. It's … unsettling. I suppose that would be easier if I had Archie here still because he would be, w-well, he-he would be used to it, but…"

He was fidgeting, looking like he didn't quite know what to do with himself. The nervous motion illustrated to Ruby even better than his words did how ill at ease he felt; Archie had always seemed so comfortable in his own skin and the contrast between him and Jiminy now was startlingly obvious.

"It's a lot to take in," he repeated weakly. "And… and I need some time to think. About everything."

Ruby pushed down the sense of dread that started spreading in her chest at his words. "Sure," she said, and when her voice broke she cleared her throat and added: "Yeah, okay."

He rose but hesitated. "May I… Is there a room where I can rest? I believe I need some time alone."

Ruby jumped to her feet but stopped herself before she closed the distance between them. He was feeling uncomfortable enough already. "Up the stairs, second door on the right," she said, trying hard to sound cheerful and supportive instead of on the verge of tears which was actually the case. "I'll let the others know we'll have to postpone the reunions a while."

He nodded and mustered a faint smile in thanks before turning and leaving the room, movements just a little bit too measured to look natural. Ruby swallowed and sat back down. Now… now there was nothing to do but wait.

. o O o . o O o .

_To be continued..._


End file.
